Savannah for the day

We started out day with a walking tour from Savannah Belle Tours.  Michelle took us through a number of the squares that make up Savannah's historic district.  The squares each have their own story and history and it was a very interesting tour.  One of Paul's favourite was the trees in the square by the courthouse and gallows where no spanish moss grow.  For it is said that spanish moss will not grow where innocent blood has been spilled.  My favourite was Johnson square.  It was the kitchen square originally where you needed to go if you had something to cook in ovens.  Not surprisingly a couple of the major fires that destroyed much of Savannah started here.  James just liked all of the random facts that the tour guide knew.

We had lunch at the Pink House and then went to the First African Baptist Church.  This is the oldest black church in North American and was also a stop along the underground railroad.  We went down to the basement and saw the air vents in the floor that allowed air to flow to the runaway slaves.  The tunnel lead out to the river where the slaves crossed at night.  The entrance to the underground railroad area is not known as at the end of that time, the members of the day sealed it up and it remains hidden. Paul was also interested to hear that John Mellencamp filmed a music video and was baptized here.

Our Thoughts Today

Today we are thinking about our friend Keith in Victoria who, today, is starting 3 days of radiation therapy for thyroid cancer. Our thought are always with Nancy in Texas hoping her treatment is going well. We are also thinking about Skeena and hoping she is recovering as well.

Friends are not always within our sight but always in our hearts.

Quick Post - More Planes (Jets) - No Pictures

As we were packing up this morning the airforce F15 must have been heading out on a training mission. Five or six of them took off within a couple of minutes. We heard them coming but the clouds were so low we could not see them. They were screaming just over our heads and right over our site to the point were James had to cover his ears. Kathie and I were peering into the clouds trying to see them to no avail.

As we were driving north we noticed that the palm tress had disappeared and we now have oak and pine tress. The trees have Spanish Moss hanging from them.

We have moved up to Savannah, Georgia, the campsite is south west of the city.

Planes, Vapour Trails and Fog

So what to do what to do. I am in a campsite right underneath a flightpath to an international airport and I am just sitting around the campsite.

I noticed that some of the planes had vapour trails coming off the flaps. And then the fog rolled in and the planes were appearing out of the fog. You could hear them coming and then they would be right there.

So out came the tripod and I started shooting.

The first two are Out of the Fog. We heard them long before they appeared and the poof they were right in front of us.

These two had great vapour trails:

This last one was coming out of the fog and it has vapour trails. If you click on the image it will show you the large version.

Darn Daytona

We started the day with a great plan, we were going to drive to one of the state parks just outside of St Augustine and stay for a couple of days to look around the oldest continuously habited white settlement of North America. It is only 45 miles north of Daytona and with the race being delayed there was no room at the inn or the campsite or any other place in town. So we moved on.

We are staying just north of Jacksonville, Florida and even though we drove farther that we had planned we still only drove for a couple of hours.

Our campsite is on the flight path for the Jacksonville airport. There must be an US Air Force Base as well. Here is a shot of an F15 from our campsite (it is not cropped).

When I was out shooting birds yesterday one of the birds I did not get a good shot of was a Little Blue Heron. There is a small pond behind our campsite and after lunch I walked over to it and here is my Little Blue Heron:

So another great day, even with a few showers to cool things off, the air conditioning is on.

Another Good Day

I got up early this morning and drove down to the Black Point Wildlife Drive in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The area is a mix of swamp, tidal flats and palm and pine trees. They have a bird check list with 330 birds. They also have bobcats, alligators, manatees and a host of other animals. The drive is several miles long and took me about 2 hours.

Here is a White Ibis:

Here is a collection of Egrets and a Roseate Spoonbill. There are Great Egrets, Cattle Egrets, Snowy Egrets (maybe they would be at home in Victoria).

Here is a TriColour Hern:

Here are a couple we see in Victoria.

Today was a boots and jeans day because I started the day in the swamp and because it has cooled down over the last couple of days. Friday it was 34 Celsius here and it has dropped to 18 so it feels quiet cool. We did not get hit by the rain that shut down the Daytona 500, but we did get some light showers.

Kennedy Space Centre, Alligators & Daytona

When you are watching the Daytona 500 on Sunday you can think of us as we are about 30 miles south of there right now.  Not that we are planning on going, just that is the location.

Today we went to the Kennedy Space Centre.



Paul took a ride in the launch simulator while James and I viewed from the observation area.  They have a number of missiles in their "garden" and it was interesting to walk around (though there weren't as many exhibits as I thought there would be).

One of the neatest exhibits was the launch control centre from 1962.  It is set up exactly like it was back then, with the addition of a couple of video monitors to tell you what everything was.  Office chairs haven't changed, but the boards and screens sure have.

As we were leaving the KSC, there was a truck pulled over at the side of the road.  So we pulled over too, so we could see what was happening.  We could see a couple of alligators in the ditch beside the road.

The wind was blowing quite hard today, but they had a wind warning for the whole east third of the US so I guess it wouldn't have mattered where we were.  It was cool at the end of the day (jeans weather) but it is supposed to start warming up again tomorrow.

Moving North - No Swimming

When we got up this morning everything outside was soaked. It is so humid and warm here it looked like it had rained.

We started on our journey north today moving to Mims, Florida which is right by the Kennedy Space Centre. We stopped along the way and had the axels looked at by American Frame and Axle because the trailer was not tracking well. Some days are better than others and we had a not so good one the other day (no bad days). I was sick and we set up in the wrong campsite. We moved 3 spots over to our campsite but forgot to take out the wheel chocks. This pushed the axels apart and the trailer started pushing the back end of the truck around. The trailer now follows the truck and even in the wind it tracked well.

Today was our warmest day yet (another great day - sandals and shorts) and is just now starting to cool off. The air conditioning has been running steady during the day for the last couple of days. The place we are staying has a pool but it is closed, they also have a pond but swimming is not recommended because of the alligators.

Just after we set up we saw a rocket launch - here is the information from the Kennedy Space Centre:

February 24, 2012 • Atlas 5 • MUOS 1
Launch Time: 2246-2330 GMT (5:15-5:59 p.m. EST)


The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch the first Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite for the U.S. Navy. Built by Lockheed Martin, this U.S. military spacecraft will improve ground communications for U.S.Navy. Built by Lockheed Martin, this U.S. military spacecraft will improve ground communications for U.S. forces on the move.

http://www.spacecoastlaunches.com/#schedule

More Laz'n about

Had a lovely time with family again today.  Drove to Gulf Port (only one-half hour away) across the Skyway bridge.  We had brunch with Mary and MaryLou and took a walk around the complex and neighbourhood.  

After visiting for a while, we headed back to the campsite to just relax and enjoy the sunshine and warmth.

This part of the trip seems to have a number of bridges, the first leg we did a lot of ferries, now we are traveling across a number of long bridges such as the one today.

Laz'n About

After a terrific day yesterday we took it easy today. A trip to the outlet stores (both of us picked up Timex Heart Rate Monitors for $30) and then back to the trailer. Kathie spent the afternoon working on her thesis and I worked on pictures while I watched the laundry.

Here are some pictures from Anna Marie Island.

Here are the waves not exactly crashing on the beach.

Here is the beach looking north. The sand is white and bright.

Here is a picture of Kathie, James and MaryLou that I took as I walked with Mary at the water's edge.

Since I was working on pictures I did up some HDR's from Cedar Key. This first one is an old Chevrolet truck that had a Hot Rod licence plate.

This one is what is left of a shed that was on a pier.

So it was another great day (sandals and shorts) by the way what is 84 degrees in celsius?

Lunch At The Beach With Family

We went to one of the many beaches Anna Maria Island with my cousin MaryLou and my Aunt Mary for a picnic lunch. Maybe it was one really long beach. The beaches are right on the Gulf of Mexico.

The water was cool and there were a few people playing in the water. Kathie dipped her toe in the water and decided that was far enough. We do have the boogie boards with us but they were in the trailer. The waves weren't really big enough, maybe we will try the Atlantic coast next week - I promised Kathie the water will be warmer there.

The beach is a white sand beach and the weather was sunny and very warm.

We had a great visit and did a long walk down the beach.

Obviously another great day - sandals and shorts - 5 days in a row - I'm starting to like this.

Tomorrow is a rest day and catch up day, Thursday we will see Mary and MaryLou again and Friday we will start heading north and east.

Palmetto, Florida

We didn't travel too far today, just a little south.  We are now in Palmetto.  We are staying a couple of days here and hope to spend some time with Paul's Aunt Mary and his cousin Mary Lou.

The drive today had lots of trees but was straight.  You could see the stop light where you needed to turn from a mile away.

Got some grocery shopping done and now we are stocked up on fruits again (as well as cookies).  Now, just relaxing for the evening.

Cedar Key

I got this picture of James when I was out today taking pictures and James was out for a walk.

We went into Cedar Key today. It is a quiet out of the way town about a mile from where we are staying. The closest shopping centre is about 30K away. The main industries are fishing and tourism. There is a small grocery store, 15 or more restaurants, boutique hotels and several gift shops. We are right on the Gulf of Mexico so some of the restaurants and hotels are built on pilings over the water.

It is very laid back here and if we could we would stay for longer.

I went out taking pictures today. My first stop was the beach in the campsite. I was told when I got there that I had missed the Ospreys. The Ospreys came back a few minutes later.

I had actually gone down to take a picture of this boat.

While Kathie and I were in town I noticed this ramshackle building so that was my main reason for going into town.

There is a new fishing pier and a number of other old wooden piers in the area. I spent some time watching the pelicans.

Heading off to see Aunt Mary and MaryLou in St. Petersburg tomorrow and the next few days, then to the Kennedy Space Centre and Daytona is next week as well and we will be just south of there.

Weather Events and Decisions

We were in Pensacola last night planning todays drive. We thought we would stick to I-10 and go to Madison, just past Tallahassee.

Last night Kathie was checking the weather and a number of Mardi Gras events in New Orleans were cancelled today (if today is Saturday - I lost track again) because of a severe weather system that is hitting Texas to Florida and north. The track of the storm included the Tallahassee area. The last time we were in this situation we stayed put and got whacked by Hurricane Irene.  So we didn't want to stay put this time.

At one of our rest stops we checked the maps and our iPad app AllStays and followed the advice from Anne and Ray (and Ken's advice to get off the interstates) and turned south to Cedar Key of the west side of Florida. The storm has a much smaller chance of hitting here. It was a longer drive than we had planned and we lost another hour to the time change but we are camped on the beach at an RV park that could be in the middle of the Okanagan (tight spaces). We got a spot for two nights - that was all they had and then we are moving south again.

When we phoned to see if they had room the owner said leave room for ribs and pulled pork. They have a restaurant here and the ribs were excellent and James really liked the pulled pork. The cost was very reasonable and the food was better than most of the meals we have this trip costing 3-4 times as much.

Most of the people here are here from the northeast US - Michigan mostly.  If you want to check out the weather here, click on the link below:

Weather here

It is warm today (great day - sandals and shorts).

Air Museum, Pictures and more

We moved from Abita Springs to Pensacola on a short drive today.

The campsite at Abita Springs was about 20K from the Interstate and was very quiet except for the crickets and frogs at night. Where we have been staying over the last few weeks we have usually been able to hear traffic from the interstate and trains - but not in Abita Springs. There were a large number of birds in the area and ponds all over the place. It is very wet in the area, here is a picture of the "tideline" in the campsite road in front of our site from the rain the other night.

In Pensacola, just down the road is where the Blue Angles are stationed at a large navy base. The base has a large navy air museum. I went down and took some pictures this afternoon, James is not feeling well and Kathie is working on her Thesis. The Blue Angles practice on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and you can go down and watch them (I think it is Friday today - I've lost track again and my watch is broken).

At the museum a lot of the planes had fold up wings and it had planes from the earliest days, including a Sopwith Camel (with Snoopy sitting in it) and flying boats, all the way up to Harriers and TomCats.

Chinook / Labrador Helicopter

Harrier Jet

Pappy Boyington's Corsair from the Black Sheep Squadron.

They also have an historic lighthouse.

For us this was a quick stop, we are moving again tomorrow, the weather is supposed to get really nasty here over the next couple of days so we want to move away from the area. It wasn't until this morning that I noticed the tornado siren mounted in the eves of the washroom building in the last campsite.

The weather today was great, (a good day - boots and jeans, a better day - sandals (no socks) and jeans, a great day - sandals and shorts).

New Orleans Pictures

Here are a few images I got today as we wandered around in the French Quarter and down St Charles Street in New Orleans.

Here are some DixieLand Jazz Musicians playing some Street Jazz on Royal Street.

Here are some Jazz Heros - Pete Fountain, Fats Domino, Al Hirt among others.

Here is a shot of Bourbon Street. This is the crowded, noisy, adult oriented end of town. Open carry here (liquor) had a whole different meaning in Arizona (handguns).

Here is an HDR of one of the many mansions on St Charles Street,

New Orleans

We went into New Orleans via the Causeway bridge over Lake Ponchartrain. This bridge is the longest bridge in the world at 38.45 km. that is more than three times as long as the Confederation bridge that connects PEI to the mainland (and the toll is only $3 compared to $45 - but it does have more than 42,000 cars per day travel over it. 

We walked around the French Quarter of New Orleans. Down Bourbon St with all the bars. New Orleans has an open container policy - you can walk around outside with your beer or drinks - and some of the people were already showing the effects. I don't think they will make it to the parades tonight.  Tuesday is Mardi Gras and the parades and parties start more than a week before. We saw seats on step ladders for people to watch the parade and some were already sitting in their spot by 2pm with chairs, ice chests and even a BBQ. 

We also walked down Royal St and watched a number of street musicians. James got to listen to a dixieland jazz band and we picked up their CD.  We had a Louisiana lunch - Gumbo, Jambalaya and blackened chicken. 

On the way out of the city we stopped for a minute to hear part of the marching band competition. Then it was back on the causeway to the campsite.   We did see our friends blue truck but did not meet up with them. I hope they got some great pics. 

Recycling

Where we live we have a comprehensive recycling program. We recycle and return a large amount of material that used to go to the garbage dump. In different places the recycling programs have ranged from comprehensive to non-existent.

When we were in North Sydney, Nova Scotia the the waste had to be separated into 7 different bags. There was garbage garbage, compost, paper, corrugated cardboard, returnables, hard plastic and soft plastic.

Traveling through the US is completely different. There is no recycling that we have been able to find. At one campsite in October the owner had tried to talk the local into doing something with the returnables and she got turned down. We did the shopping today and I carried an armful of stuff to the garbage that at home I would have put in the recycle box.

I also got out today and got some barn and homestead pictures from an area to the north of us, including a run into Mississippi.

Changes in weather

We woke up to fog this morning. The campsite was still in water and we were surrounded by fog. Our drive started out where we could see the highway but not much else.

The fog started lifting around Lake Charles where we filled up with gas. Lots of state police along the highway for traffic control. We passed four in the space of about three miles.

Saw lots of houses built on pilings.  We crossed the Atchafalaya Swamp. The swamp is the largest swamp in the United States. It is a combination of wetlands and river delta area where the Atchafalaya River and the Gulf of Mexico converge. I think the bridge was 18 miles long because that was the requirement for the trucks to stay in the right lane.

We stopped at the Bass Pro Shop at Denham Springs and bought Paul some new jeans while we there.  We have now arrived at Abita Springs RV (across the lake from New Orleans). And the weather is sunny and warm - back into shorts and the AC is on.

Snow, Rain and Pictures

We said good-bye to Ken and Nancy last night, we will keep track of Nancy's progress on their web site http://thebeazleyclan.com/kn/?page_id=431 We are looking forward to seeing them again.

We have been using the interstates for most of our driving since we left the Pacific coast. They get you there faster but there is a lot of semi-truck traffic and the scenery gets monotonous. While we were visiting Ken and Nancy last night Ken suggested a route for today that would take us off the interstate and down some Texas state highways.

As we were leaving Ken and Nancy's place last night there was fresh snow on the ground. This morning it was raining and had warmed up to about 2 degrees. We followed Ken's suggestion and had a nice drive down some very good highways. It rained all day, heavily at times but we were not having to deal with the spray of 100's of trucks passing us. I was even able to find a couple of barns that I took pictures of.

We have moved south and it is getting warmer ( about 10 degrees) but the campsite we are in is very wet. The trailer is sitting on a concrete pad in about an inch of water and grass around us has 2-4 inches of water. My boots have not been this wet since Barry took me out in the Argo to look for wildlife in Kitwanga. Fortunately I have a new pair of boots and they kept my feet dry.

It was interesting going out with Ken when he had his camera. He would often take pictures when I wouldn't normally (for example - when we were out at lunch he was taking pictures of the signs in the restaurant - something I wouldn't normally do). I am meeting up with another photographer, Anne McKinnell (http://annemckinnell.com/) and I am looking forward to spending time watching her approach to photography.

This is a long exposure (about 15 seconds) taken in the restaurant, people were moving in and out of the shot while it was taken.

The other day we were in Dallas at the JFK museum. They have the point marked on the road where JFK was shot. Here is a picture of me standing at that spot from the grassy knoll.

Here is a picture from the spot of the corner window where they say the fatal shots was taken.

We also drove by Texas Rangers Stadium.

Nolan's House

And the Dallas Cowboy's Stadium.

Jerry's House

Was it a conspiracy?

Our first plan for today was to take James to Legoland. Did you know that adults are not allowed in Legoland unless accompanied by children. Since we didn't have a spare child we could use for that purpose, we changed our plans for the day. 

Instead we dropped James off at a Games Workshop (the Dallas/Fort Worth area has three). Then Paul and I went to the Sixth Floor Museum.   This is a museum dedicated to JFK. At the book exchange where you can see the place of the shooting, the grassy knoll and the place LHO is claimed to have been and fired the "pristine bullet". 

Back to pick up James, a quick trip back to the trailer to walk Kody and now we are off to Ken and Nancy's again for hamburgers. Whew, that was a busy day. 

Fort Worth, Texas

Had a wonderful day yesterday in Fort Worth. Visited with our friends Ken and Nancy. They took us to Riscky's BBQ and to the Fort Worth Stockyards. Lots of interesting history. Is it a bad thing when you still use things that you find in a museum?  Paul and Ken both had their cameras and were having fun getting pictures. Including some of longhorn cattle.   

We drove past Jerry's house - Cowboys Stadium. The stadium is 3 million square feet and is 900 feet from one end zone retractable wall to the opposite end zone retractable wall.  Of course, being baseball fans we also drove past the Texas Ranger Stadium which is just across the way (both are actually in Arlington).

We spent the latter part of the day visiting and getting some laundry done. It is always nice to be able to use a good washer and dryer.  Some campgrounds do their best but most laundry rooms in campgrounds are sadly lacking in good quality machines. 

Driving and driving

We arrived in Burleson Texas this afternoon. We chose Berleson because Ken and Nancy live here. We met them in Newfoundland last year and when we were looking for places to stop as we cut across Texas we decided to stop here and see them.

We have been driving across Texas for two days (~550k each day) and we still have about 360 k (225 miles) to go. So Texas is big - how big - well Texas is 268,580 square miles, in comparison BC is 364,764 square miles, so Texas is about 2/3 the size of BC. Texas is wide where BC is long.

Texas is also flat. Driving is easy if the wind is not up - we spent all day in 5th with the cruise control set at 100kph - the only times I had to shift were when we pulled over for coffee and lunch. The driving has been easy enough the Kathie even offered to drive yesterday.

The place we stayed at last night was a campsite for the oil field workers. The fellow beside us was looking for work as a commercial truck driver. He has just lost the lease on his ranch in Montana and is living in the trailer park with his dog. The 8 year old dog (Jill) was a ranch dog so had never had a collar on. It is having a hard time adjusting to life off the ranch.

The area we stayed in last night was very busy and noisy. It was in the middle of the oil fields and the plants around it run 24 hours a day. Our trailer is quiet because it has double pane windows and good insulation. The insulation will be a good thing tonight as the temperature is supposed to get down to -2 and -4 over the next couple of days.

The scenery changed during the day. Early in the day we had the fields of oil pumps and miles of wind mills. Everything else was sand and sagebrush. Later in the day we started to get green fields, farms and some trees - not tall ones but a welcome break from the sand and sagebrush.

We will stay here for a couple of days to rest before we head down to the coast and New Orleans.

Colder nights, longer days (of driving)

We woke up to chilly 3 C this morning. Packed up quickly to stay warm and were on our way again.  

We saw lots of cows and hay bales this morning.  But no barns. They seems to build covers but not walls for the hay, cows and horses (due to the milder weather I guess). 

Driving through El Paso it was interesting to see many bright colored buildings. Yellow, pink, orange, purple. Shopping centers large and small were all brightly coloured.   The pollution smell wasn't nearly as interesting. 

Paul saw the posted speed limit on the GPS read 130KPH. Can't drive that fast and still have trailer tires. 

We drove by mountains of dirt and rock today, we stopped at a rest area . . . somewhere for lunch, the exit was called Wild Horse Road, there didn't appear to be any town close by. 

After taking the turnoff to Hwy 20, it was very flat and dry. In all four directions we could see nothing but desert.   Except for oil pumps - those things that look  like ether birds pulling up the oil. 

We have stopped the night at Midessa RV (halfway between Midland and Odessa). 

First post, Second loop

I am sorry that it has been so long since I posted but by the end of the first loop posting had become an object of vast tedium for me. The reason I am posting now is because my conscience finally guilted me into posting, ok that is my post, later bye.

…

What? You want more of a post? Something explaining what the trip has been like so far?

Well I guess I could tell you how I was ecstatic in San Francisco when we finally had enough time in the states to get a cheap(er than Canada's prices) 3DS and The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. Or I could tell you about how when I ran out of books we went to a book store and mom paid for the books and then ended up owing me money for my allowance. And then when on the subject of book I could explain that I like werewolves better than vampires in modern books because I find them generally more realistic even if shapeshifting is physically impossible, I find that this is counteracted by the fact that in most werewolf stories there is magic in which case while the shifting bone structure is still hard to physically explain the mass change is done by shifting magical energy (and some of your own (as in calories not life force)) into mass and back again.

But I'm not going to

Tombstone Pictures

Here are some of the pictures I took at Tombstone (the town that survives because of a 30 second gang fight).

Here is Kathie Oakley at the shooting gallery taking aim - she didn't miss.

They replay the "gunfight at the OK corral" 3 times a day to a packed house. The 30 seconds is stretched out into a 45 minute play.

Here are the Earp Brothers after the play - the Clanton brothers had to "stay dead" until everyone had left the bleachers. Everyone else had a good time.

There are other gunfight plays, silver mine tours, a historama, robotic gunfighters, a newspaper still publishing the event and tourist shops to visit. They even renamed their cemetery "Boothill". It is somewhat reminiscent of Barkerville with the actors dressed in period costumes. Some of the visitors can be confused with the actors (including guns). The restaurants, bars and shops all had signs - "No Guns Allowed" or "No Weapons Allowed" (guns or knives).